Licensing

Real Deal

Wham-O_LogoWham-O Names PR Agency of Record

Wham-O has appointed Percepture as its public relations agency of record, effective immediately. Percepture, the New York-based firm, will spearhead Wham-O’s business-to-business and business-to-consumer communications efforts in conjunction with the company’s 70th anniversary and launch of new products.

“With 70 years of history and a line-up of consumer products that appeal to people of all ages, the Wham-O brand remains synonymous with fun, play and sports,” says Olyvia Pronin, marketing director for Wham-O. “It was important for our agency partner to understand this, and that’s why we are pleased to have Percepture join the team. They understand our vision, and given their track record of creative and effective ideas, we believe they will be the perfect partner to take advantage of market opportunities to build buzz for our corporate brand and products.”

Wham-O manufactures and markets consumer brands including classics such as Frisbee, Slip ’N Slide, Hula Hoop, and Hacky Sack, to outdoor brands such as Morey, Boogie, Snow Boogie, and BZ Pro Boards.

HighlightsTM_TaglineR_bleed_flat_CMYKHighlights Partners with Brilliant PR

Brilliant PR & Marketing announces a focused partnership with Highlights for Children, Inc. Best known for Highlights Magazine, the company offers products for kids ages birth–12 including magazines, books, websites, mobile apps, and numerous subscription clubs. Three years ago, the company launched Highlights Press as a retail publishing program delivering the brand’s core essence through a portfolio of books and products. Most recently, a new line of learning books from Highlights Learning offers integrated approaches to school readiness that blend puzzles with skills practice activities.

Brilliant’s work on behalf of Highlights will focus on books from Highlights Learning and Highlights Press in addition to Hello magazine for babies and the Hidden Pictures mobile app. The agency will also help develop and promote Highlights’ 10th annual State of the Kid Survey, a national survey that speaks directly to children about what it’s like to be a kid today. Brilliant’s partnership with Highlights will be overseen and guided strategically by Clark Nesselrodt, previously of Hunter PR and MSLGroup, who joined the agency as vice-president in May 2017.

Peanuts Worldwide announced today the launch of the Peanuts Global Artist Collective: a global initiative that puts Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the rest of the gang into the hands and imaginations of seven carefully curated artists who will meld their own signature characters, settings and styles with the world of Peanuts. The project’s first phase features large-scale public murals in seven international locations.

The creators include an array of artists who share a deep connection to Peanuts and a long-standing commitment to public art:

Mr. A: Graffiti was the first way André Saraiva made his mark on the world. Now an established hotelier, restaurateur, and nightlife pioneer, Saraiva has never put away his spray can.

Nina Chanel Abney: Combining representation and abstraction, Nina Chanel Abney’s paintings capture the frenetic pace of contemporary culture in subjects such as race, celebrity, religion, politics, sex and art history.

AVAF: Founded by Brazilian-born artist Eli Sudbrack in 2001, Assume Vivid Astro Focus (AVAF) works in a vast array of media, including painting, drawing, installations, video, sculpture, neons, wallpaper, and decals.

FriendsWithYou—FriendsWithYou is the fine art collaborative of Samuel Borkson and Arturo Sandoval III, working collectively since 2002 with the sole purpose of spreading the message of Magic, Luck, and Friendship.

Tomokazu Matsuyama—Matsuyama’s work responds to his own bi-cultural experience of growing up between Japan and America by bringing together aspects of both Eastern and Western aesthetic systems.

Rob Pruitt—Pruitt is an American post-conceptual artist who works primarily in painting, installation and sculpture. He is perhaps best known for his ongoing series of Pandas as well as Gradient Paintings.

Kenny Scharf—Kenny Scharf is an American painter and installation artist, who is associated with the Lowbrow movement and was part of the East Village art scene during the 1980s. He is best known for his visually dynamic work inspired by comic books and pop culture.

The initial phase began on April 8 in Paris’ 10th Arrondissement, with the debut of a Snoopy-centric image by Chanel Abney on the façade of Le Citizen hotel alongside the Canal St. Martin. The project then expands on April 15, opening in Seoul’s Jamsil Lotte World Mall with giant floating digital screens on display by Rob Pruitt. Next, Berlin (Mitte district), New York City (Hudson Square), and San Francisco (Downtown) opened simultaneously on April 16 with murals by all seven artists. Tokyo follows with a two-part exhibition that launches on April 21 at The Snoopy Museum in Roppongi and features pieces by all seven artists. This exhibition will then be extended to digital screens in the Shibuya district starting April 28. On May 3, the tour broadens to Mexico City (inside and surrounding The Mumedi Design Museum) with Carnavelesque murals by AVAF in the city’s Zócalo.

Peanuts Global Artist Collective Launches Worldwide

The Peanuts Global Artist Collective was curated by the New York-based creative consulting firm Culture Corps. Art curators Yvonne Force Villareal and Doreen Remen, co-founders of both Culture Corps and the non-profit Art Production Fund, evaluated the work of more than 100 contemporary artists to find collaborators who could uniquely expand upon the themes from Charles Schulz’s oeuvre.